posted at 4:42 pm on September 14, 2012 by Allahpundit

The first mention of this that I saw online was in a LA Times story about the filmmaker, where it was mentioned in passing five paragraphs down. If you thought General Dempsey pressuring Terry Jones to pipe down was bad, how much worse is it to have the U.S. government leaning on one of the world’s most influential online media companies to suppress “offensive” content? Google spent nearly $4 million to lobby the feds in the second quarter of this year alone; they have strong financial incentives to comply with “requests” like this, and it’s to their credit that they refused in this case (while agreeing to block YouTube in Libya and Egypt, do note). What that means is that, at the moment, Google seems to be more strongly committed to free speech than your own government does. And I should have anticipated that two days ago in this post, when I was half-jokingly wondering about a future blasphemy exception to the First Amendment. The government doesn’t need to enact anti-blasphemy laws if it can lean on private media platforms to enact their own anti-blasphemy policies “voluntarily.” It’s a “soft power” approach to censorship, and the more cronyistic the government is with business, the more leverage it’ll have in pursuing it.

And yet, the LA Times barely thought to mention it. The only way you’re going to get the feds to stop doing this is if the media shines a big bright spotlight on whenever it happens, but that won’t happen until a Republican is back in office. Free speech is, for our concern-troll media, largely a partisan issue.

The White House has asked YouTube to review an anti-Muslim film posted to the site that has been blamed for igniting the violent protests this week in the Middle East.

Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House has “reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and ask them to review whether it violates their terms of use.”

However, the video remained on the site as of Friday afternoon, and it is posted many other places on the Internet.

Lots of stupidity in this strategy. First, as noted, getting YouTube to dump the vid will greatly reduce its visibility but won’t cause it to disappear completely. If anything, demand to see it would skyrocket. Second, by leaning on Google, the feds are actually confirming the worst suspicions of Islamist nuts that the U.S. government has some sort of control over offensive speech by U.S. citizens. The message the State Department should be pushing right now is that America doesn’t meddle with what its citizens say and therefore bears no moral culpability for cultural insults. Instead, they’re meddling. Third, per Mark Hemingway, this actually vindicates Romney’s critique of the Cairo embassy statement. Romney accused the administration of “sympathizing” with the sort of Islamist cretins who later assaulted the embassy, annnd that’s basically been proved true. Islamists were insulted, and now the White House is trying to make the insult go away.

Since the feds couldn’t get Google to bend on the clip, though, I guess it’s time for plan B: Actually imprisoning the guy responsible for the movie.

U.S. probation officials are looking into potential violations of prison release terms by a California man linked to an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests at U.S. embassies in Muslim countries, a court spokeswoman said on Friday…

[The filmmaker,] who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos, pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2010 and was sentenced to 21 months in prison, to be followed by five years on supervised probation, court documents showed. Prison records show he was released in June 2011, shortly before production began on the video…

Under the written terms of his release, [the filmmaker] was forbidden to use the Internet or assume any aliases without approval of his probation officer. A senior law enforcement official in Washington indicated the probation investigation relates to whether he broke either or both of these conditions.

Violations could result in him being sent back to prison, court records show.

Newsweek also has a story about the parole-violation angle, which I recommend reading just because it’s palpable how much of a pretext it is to punish the guy for the crime of “unhelpful ” speech instead. (The last paragraph of their story sums it up.) Even if he technically violated his parole by using a computer and an alias, as far as I’m aware no one’s alleging that he used that computer and alias to commit any crimes since leaving prison. Bringing him in for that is like going after Al Capone for tax evasion: That’s not his “real” crime, but you’ll happily prosecute him for it just to impose some measure of justice on him. The filmmaker’s “real” crime is antagonizing lots of violent Islamist lunatics by blaspheming their religion, but since that’s still technically legal, maybe we can bring him in on the charge of using an alias instead.

Exit question: Since everyone understands that this guy is now marked for death, why does the media — with the help of law enforcement — insist on publishing his name and whereabouts? Finding out who’s behind the film and what his motive was in producing it is a legitimate story, but you could write that story without using his name: “The filmmaker, who’s name is being withheld for security reasons, is a Coptic Christian who’s been to prison for fraud and drug possession,” etc etc. Every clue to his identity and whereabouts makes the job of jihadist nutbags a little easier, and yet the media insists on dropping some very, very big clues.

Update: Ed DMs to say that he’s familiar with the filmmaker’s hometown and that it’s small enough that it shouldn’t be difficult to pinpoint him. So, yeah, this guy’s probably going to be killed. But I guess he had it coming, huh?

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“…by leaning on Google, the feds are actually confirming the worst suspicions of Islamist nuts that the U.S. government has some sort of control over offensive speech by U.S. citizens. The message the State Department should be pushing right now is that America doesn’t meddle with what its citizens say and therefore bears no moral culpability for cultural insults. Instead, they’re meddling.

Nailed it – but unfortunately the Feds have opened Pandora’s box now, haven’t they?

Update: Ed DMs to say that he’s familiar with the filmmaker’s hometown and that it’s small enough that it shouldn’t be difficult to pinpoint him. So, yeah, this guy’s probably going to be killed. But I guess he had it coming, huh?

Well, my libtard friends on Facebook are in full defense mode re: the media. How dare I question the media’s integrity.
SouthernGent on September 14, 2012 at 5:10 PM
~~~~~
Wow, yours are bolder than mine…mine have gone underground! (still waiting for themto re-group, though)
ellifint on September 14, 2012 at 5:14 PM

I’ve seen an influx of troll comments here at HA. My guess is they’re filling their pants they’re so scared.

It disgusting that our federal authorities and/or this administration would seek to appease those who commit violence in order to suppress freedom of speech or expression, rather than standing firmly for our first principles.

So if this “filmmaker” get whacked do we start protesting? I wonder how much he really knows about life in the Muslim world? After decades of denigrating religious Americans and pooh poohing any offense they have taken in the world of Art, this sure is an odd turn of events.

It disgusting that our federal authorities and/or this administration would seek to appease those who commit violence in order to suppress freedom of speech or expression, rather than standing firmly for our first principles.

thatsafactjack on September 14, 2012 at 5:16 PM

You’re operating under the assumption that “federal authorities” amd this administration actually believe in “our first principles”.

Exit question: Since everyone understands that this guy is now marked for death, why does the media — with the help of law enforcement — insist on publishing his name and whereabouts?

He took an action that could cause Obama to lose the election. In the eyes of some in the media on the left, that apparently is the only crime left that should be subject to the death penalty (as long as those trying to hand down the sentence still have the ability to claim their hands are clean if the action is carried out…)

What that means is that, at the moment, Google seems to be more strongly committed to free speech than your own government does.

Google is strongly committed to freeing all information from any confines whatsoever. While this can be problematic when said information relates to one’s finances and/or browsing habits, the philosophy is not entirely without merit, as we can see from this example.

How about GodPundit AllahPundit change his handle to MohammedPundit, feature it prominently under that cute dog used to advertise HotAir, and watch him, Ed Morrissey, and MK Ham become as famous as Terry Jones. All perfectly legal and above board. You can’t buy that kind of advertising! And since he’s already anonymous, what could go wrong?

Paul-Cincy on September 14, 2012 at 5:10 PM

Why do you hate AP so much :)… Next thing you know the crazies will put a fatwa on him or something, and poor allah will have to go into hiding :)…much like salman rushdie…he’s enough of a mystery man as it is, if he goes underground or in a witness relocation program, he won’t be able to write as cogently and prolifically as he does now….dunno about you, but I for one like AP (‘xcept for one he goes full eeyore : ), then I want to kill him :)… wait….

It is disturbing to me that the DoD and the White House both decided to try and make this disappear. They didn’t circumvent the First Amendment but they came damned close and I’m sure there were “suggestions” about what they could do in the way of IRS audits and other ramifications.

But it is a good thing they are as much failures here than in every other aspect of their administration. The last thing you want to do when dealing with these animals is to provide affirmation that the government can bow and scrape to the demands of radical Islam.

But that brings up another point. It is clear that the administration feared that this production (not clear if there really is a movie or just this “trailer” which would make it more a video) would result in Muslims being upset. And that concern was deep enough that the White House tryed to strong arm YouTube and the CJCS personally called that crazy pastor. Why then did they not take safeguards to keep our embassies and, more importantly, our diplomatic personnel safe?

IF we fail to stand up for our principles, freedom of speech and expression first among them, and we appease those who do violence on us when they are ‘offended’, then THEY OWN US, and we will have lost the War On Terror.

His options are: go to prison or walk around freely with some form of fatwa on his poor person (it doesn’t even have to be a formal one, am sure there are quite a few moammad vigillantes out there who keep tabs) …I wouldn’t presume that the feds will put him in a witness relocation program, given how fast they were on outing him and his ID to the press…poor bugger, I really feel sorry for him…

Now every other Muslim male is named Mohammed but they get all bent out of shape when you mention Mohammed.

SparkPlug on September 14, 2012 at 5:28 PM

Muslims celebrate Mohammad’s marriage to Aliya, who was 6 years old when Mohammad married her and 9 years old when he consummated the marriage, but then they get seriously butthurt when us Westerners point out that such an act constitutes pedophilia.

U.S. probation officials are looking into potential violations of prison release terms by a California man linked to an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests at U.S. embassies in Muslim countries, a court spokeswoman said on Friday

So let me see if I understand. Making a film violates your parole? Or is there something much more unseemly and illegal going on here?

I am not defending this idiot. I certainly don’t care for much of what passes for film and art these days. But our traditions, laws and ultimately Constitution allows these forays into stupidity as part of free speech and expression. Is there now going to be a carve-out exception for people offending the Muslim religion? Does the Constitution have some secret-written-in-invisible-lemon-juice clause just discovered?

These people kill our countrymen under the false pretext of a film being offensive to their religion. Mr. Obama reacts not only by agreeing with their premise, but the reasoning. Then he doubles-down by attempting to suppress that free-speech by pressuring distributors? How about their is no justifiable pretext for murder and we don’t agree with what the film said, but we defend his right to say it. That’s just the way it works in America according to our Constitution.

Now every other Muslim male is named Mohammed but they get all bent out of shape when you mention Mohammed.

SparkPlug on September 14, 2012 at 5:28 PM

Remember the white teacher in Yemen who named a class Teddy Bear “Mohammed”. You’d think she just pissed in your corn flakes. Tried for blasphemy. Somebody paid somebody because her sentence was suspended. And she apologized profusely.

Sure, Liberals have double standards about who you’re allowed to offend and who you’re not allowed to offend. But in this particular case, that’s completely besides the point.

Liberals are going nuts over this film and Romney’s statements for one reason and one reason only. They’re terrified that what’s going on in the Middle East will do as much damage to Obama’s chances of getting re-elected as the fall of Lehman Brothers and AIG did to McCain’s chances of getting elected four years ago. They knew that the financial crisis was a gift to Obama, and they have a sinking feeling that these anti-US uprisings in the Middle East will be an equally valuable gift to Romney.

So we can knock ourselves all we want having intensive debates with Liberals about the 1st Amendment. I think a better approach would be to call them out on the fact that their only interest in these unfolding events is how badly it will affect Obama’s approval ratings.

We have the right to free speech, even obnoxious speech otherwise Hollywood types and rappers wouldn’t be allowed to spew their vile filth. The Constitution protects us from the government making laws that violate this right. Once again Obama wants to shred the Constitutional protections we enjoy and abuse the power of the government to silence speech he does not like.

Liberals are going nuts over this film and Romney’s statements for one reason and one reason only. They’re terrified that what’s going on in the Middle East will do as much damage to Obama’s chances of getting re-elected as the fall of Lehman Brothers and AIG did to McCain’s chances of getting elected four years ago. They knew that the financial crisis was a gift to Obama, and they have a sinking feeling that these anti-US uprisings in the Middle East will be an equally valuable gift to Romney.

So we can knock ourselves all we want having intensive debates with Liberals about the 1st Amendment. I think a better approach would be to call them out on the fact that their only interest in these unfolding events is how badly it will affect Obama’s approval ratings.

ardenenoch on September 14, 2012 at 5:35 PM

Yup, no doubt about that, but we still need to kick their nuts up around their chins for even threatening the First amendment.

Shouldn’t the whole of the democrat party be arrested? I mean, the 6th century barbarians didn’t start rioting until after then convention in Charlotte, NC where the democrat party was celebrating Usame bin Laden’s death.

I’m struck by how there is all of this coverage of this film, and yet absolutely ZERO coverage of wheter the film’s factual content about Islam is accurate. Wouldn’t that be the real question?

WhatSlushfund on September 14, 2012 at 5:02 PM

Funny that, isn’t it? They seem to have no problem “fact-checking” the Ryan speech but somehow missed the fact that the DNC showed Soviet warships in the background while he General was speaking. They will “fact-check” the most nitnoid things from the right and let the left lie their arses off.

Seems that a real press, you know, one with real journalists instead of journolists might take a look at that movie and trailer, compare it to the koran and other writings and determine whether it is factual, factual but clumsy, a misrepresentation, or an outright lie. You know, a real press, one with real journalists, might think about doing that investigation before piling on to this story with a “burn the witch film maker!” slant. Yep, that’s what a real press, one with real journalists would do. Sure would be nice if we had a real press, one with real journalists in this country.

Remember the white teacher in Yemen who named a class Teddy Bear “Mohammed”. You’d think she just pissed in your corn flakes. Tried for blasphemy. Somebody paid somebody because her sentence was suspended. And she apologized profusely.

Paul-Cincy on September 14, 2012 at 5:33 PM

I just found out about that. I think Flora posted a link to the story and I thought it was a joke. But no, the muzzles were offended and wanted that teacher dead.

give it a few more weeks, say, til 6 Nov :) …if we get our way, I guess you can put that matter to rest, at least for a while…if the SCOAMF gets his way….well, I promise I won’t be the one who tells you ‘you have come full circle’…if not for other reasons at least because I’m a crazy optimist and don’t believe they can bend us shapeless…

Jihadi groups in Egypt, including Islamic Jihad, the Sunni Group, and Al Gamaa Al Islamiyya have issued a statement threatening to burn the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to the ground.

According to El Fagr, they are calling for the immediate release of the Islamic jihadis who are imprisonment and in detention centers in the U.S. including Guantanamo Bay: “The group, which consists of many members from al-Qaeda, called [especially] for the quick release of the jihadi [mujahid] sheikh, Omar Abdul Rahman [the "Blind Sheikh"], whom they described as a scholar and jihadi who sacrificed his life for the Egyptian Umma, who was ignored by the Mubarak regime, and [President] Morsi is refusing to intervene on his behalf and release him, despite promising that he would. The Islamic Group has threatened to burn the U.S. Embassy in Cairo with those in it, and taking hostage those who remain [alive], unless the Blind Sheikh is immediately released.”

give it a few more weeks, say, til 6 Nov :) …if we get our way, I guess you can put that matter to rest, at least for a while…if the SCOAMF gets his way….well, I promise I won’t be the one who tells you ‘you have come full circle’…if not for other reasons at least because I’m a crazy optimist and don’t believe they can bend us shapeless…

jimver on September 14, 2012 at 5:55 PM

I had to go to Prague for a few days on business. I miss my family even more so since all of this crap has hit the wall. No one will ever bend me, or own me. Not now, not ever.

Romney needs to blast the Obama Administration on this, I actually see this really cutting into Obama’s base of younger voters.

Since when does the US put pressure on private organizations commenting on religion? Can you imagine if a Republican Administration pressured YouTube about videos that were negative about Christianity?

I’m beginning to wonder if you are required to be ball-less to be part of the regime. These savages to be outrageously outraged. Most of them do not have jobs, they spend the majority of their time fighting over the same goat. When something happens, a cartoon, a YouTube video, somebody spiking the ball over and over again to get reelected, the camels have turned frigid, the beekeeper caught you with her brother’s goat, it is cause for a riot. If it is Friday, you got it, riot.
Nobody died when some ahole dropped a crucifix into a jar of urine. Imagine if someone shoved the a MoHo effigy into a jar of urine. They might even nuke themselves.
I don’t care about their religion, their sensitivities. Kill them all.

One phone call to Morsi: “Yeah, Mr. President, one plank on that embassy gets so much as a whiff of smoke damage, you can forget any further foreign aid money from us.” Oh, that’s right Jugears is meeting with him next week, he can give the message in person.

It’s unvelievable how these in WH lie through their teeth about what happened in benghazi. Especially when they say that this wasn’t planned, they didn’t have any intel on it, it was just an angry mob, blah, blah….one of the guys who died in the attacks was a well trained navy seal and apparently served in many cover operations even afer he retired from the military. Apparently he was in a mission in Norway at some point and he was one of the operatives hunting a suspected terrorist there …
He was interviewed on screen discussing surveillance techniques and the importance of maintaining focus in a dangerous situation. The navy seal’s sister said the attack on the consulate had to have been extremely violent and well-coordinated, because “Glen was highly trained. He was the best of the best. This was serious, well-planned, well-executed,” she told NBC station KNSD-TV of San Diego. “He was very good at what he did.”

First they came for a video THEY deemed “offensive” to a religion. I didn’t do anything because meh, it’s just criticism of Muslims.

…….but then THEY didn’t deem the Piss Christ as “offensive”, the government actually helped to fund that as “art” and “artistic expression” and that WE should be “tolerant” of those that disagree with us.

…….and then THEY told us we should be tolerant of Mary covered with dung because again it showed that WE were tolerant.

…….but I’m asking why is “art” that’s offensive to Muslims not okay and worthy of being banned, but “art” that is offensive to Christians is just to be tolerated?

This is the epitome of gansta government. Back when Standard & Poors downgraded Uncle Broke Obama hits them with a regulatory action, Gallup puts out a really bad poll and gets threatened with an indictment, The Top Dog general in the entire world calls an obscure Southern Pastor (who may be a kook) and “strongly” asks him to dissasociate himself from this movie, and them Barky “asks” Google to censor the movie. If I’m Google I’ve got to assume my entire company may be riding on the answer.

BY THE WAY, THE THREAT APPEARED ON AN ISLAMIC WEBSITE ON THE EIGHTH OF SEPTEMBER, 3 DAYS BEFORE THE ATTACK.

I’m reminded of the story about how the CIA learned about the fall of the Berlin Wall from watching CNN and how CIA chief during the Reagan administration, William Casey, said that he had “learned more from [Claire] Sterling (a journalist) than from all of [the CIA’s Soviet analysts.”

Good get. But even if the lynch mobs were all about that cheap movie, so what? It’s all on the bearded zealots, none on the “film maker”.

Ever seen art school films? THere is a lot crappy offensive stuff in an art school. I don’t see anyone putting a jihad on them for their crappy art. Hillary isn’t calling the Columbia art dept and telling them to cease and desist.

I had to go to Prague for a few days on business. I miss my family even more so since all of this crap has hit the wall. No one will ever bend me, or own me. Not now, not ever.

JPeterman on September 14, 2012 at 6:08 PM

I know, I’m in France right now vacaying with my family :) ..nothing beats that, despite me making supernatural efforts to ignore the politics and the socialist imbecility here, it is amazing how the French public degenerated into full moocher mode and mentality this past decade…plus, meanwhile the muslims multiplied threefold probably, so you can imagine, more money from the poor taxpayer to keep them on welfare and happy, the price that our enlightened leaders (actually the population at large) have to pay in exchange for social peace…or the alernative: they take it to the streets and turn into the mobs you’ve seen in cairo, benghazi and…ha, paris…
I really hope this french/european insanity doesn’t get transplanted over here, I really do…if it does, dunno, have to start calling my brother in australia more often :), inquire about options :)…

At first I was shocked and horrified by this news. The youtube pressure and the probation-violation line of attack are both absolutely chilling.

But then I started thinking back over the last few years, and I realized it is nothing new. Liberals would shut down Fox News and the entire array of conservative/Republicanish blogs if given half a chance. How do I know? Because liberal friends of mine openly discuss how Fox News and conservative blogs should be shut down. They say it like it’s nothing. And–another disturbing trend–they have absolutely no problem wishing death and catastrophe on those who violate their crazy moral code.

So jumping to attacking the guy who posted the video and trying to bully him into silence–even if it means the guy gets killed–is just a “logical” first reaction to this kind of situation to the Libs. Shutting down speech they deem inappropriate is how they cope with life. (Hello, college campus speech codes.)

So, yeah, this guy’s probably going to be killed. But I guess he had it coming, huh?

Now that’s just ignorant. No, he doesn’t have it coming.

Seth MacFarlane has practically made a career out of mocking and blaspheming Jesus. I am a Christian and I don’t know a Christian on earth who would say he had it coming if some insane Christian killed him — as unlikely as that is.

Just because we know there are Muslims who kill people for insulting Mohammed doesn’t mean we have it coming if we let them get away with it.

Whatever happened to the spirit of, “I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll fight with my life to protect your right to say it.”

Update: Ed DMs to say that he’s familiar with the filmmaker’s hometown and that it’s small enough that it shouldn’t be difficult to pinpoint him. So, yeah, this guy’s probably going to be killed. But I guess he had it coming, huh?

LOL!! Idiot. GO plug Cerritos into Google Earth. 1000 square mies of city, and that’s just the Basin part of greater Los Angeles. You can drive 30mi++ in almost any direction from Cerritos and STILL not be out of a heavily developed and populated environment.

Remember the white teacher in Yemen who named a class Teddy Bear “Mohammed”. You’d think she just pissed in your corn flakes. Tried for blasphemy. Somebody paid somebody because her sentence was suspended. And she apologized profusely.

Paul-Cincy on September 14, 2012 at 5:33 PM

I just found out about that. I think Flora posted a link to the story and I thought it was a joke. But no, the muzzles were offended and wanted that teacher dead.

SparkPlug on September 14, 2012 at 5:42 PM

What’s worse is that, IIRC, the teacher wasn’t even the one who named the teddy bear. She asked the kids in class to vote for the name they liked best. Since half of them were named Mohammed anyway, that was the name they picked.

LOL!! Idiot. GO plug Cerritos into Google Earth. 1000 square mies of city, and that’s just the Basin part of greater Los Angeles. You can drive 30mi++ in almost any direction from Cerritos and STILL not be out of a heavily developed and populated environment.

rayra on September 14, 2012 at 8:13 PM

That doesn’t keep the filmmaker safe. You or I can’t realistically comb Cerritos to find one house, but the congregation of an average-sized mosque could narrow the choices down pretty quickly, especially with the aid of Google Maps (which helpfully takes street-view pictures). Enlisting the aid of a sympathetic realtor or two would make it even faster.

I will make a sad bet with you: $20, payable by PayPal, says there will be an attempt on this man’s life before the election. Will you take the bet?

I don’t comment much, but these last few days has me outraged, both with the news and maybe more with many of those that comment on this site.
“Failure” is much too weak of a word.
Here are a few more appropriate words:
Treason
Treason
Treason
All you damned ABR’s, Paulbots and the like had better get your sh!t together. The world is officially on fire and your “punish the GOP” for four more years whiny baby crap will eventually kill us all, not to mention your children as well. 1979 will look like a walk in the park. Get your heads out of your ideological a…holes and vote this radtical basturd out. Third parties will never start from the top down. Never happened before and wont happen now. Now you have a more important decision. More important than conservative purity, pro-choice, religious freedoms, gold standards or free weed.
Its fast becoming LIFE or DEATH.
Get over yourself, and the rest of the selfish bull.
(sorry, but I will post this on multiple threads)
/Lurk off